Blended People of America

I am CONFIDENT that Barack Obama would have been publicly blasted had he identified himself as "White", in spite of the fact that he was raised by three "White" people. In fact, I firmly believe the same would have happened even if his physical features had people typically mistaking him for having no African ancestry.

To go one step further, I believe his political career would have suffered had he simply identified as mixed/mulatto/biracial/multicultural/etc. If he insisted that people recognize that he is Black AND White, there would have been issues. There most definitely still exists a double standard.

I used to subscribe to that age-old brainwashing that ONLY allowed a mixed person to call themselves either mixed or Black. I understood why some mixed people would call themselves Black based on their upbringing, appearance, etc. BUT, I thought it was shameful for a mixed person to pass themselves off for White. I believed the lie that this was always done out of self-loathing, hatred of Blackness, etc. Well, the more mixed people I have met of various phenotypes and upbringings, and the more I have learned about mixed folks historically, and the more I have pondered this age old double standard, the more convinced I became that a whole bunch of wool has been pulled over a whole bunch of eyes.

Some mixed/mulatto/biracial folks are Black (regardless of their appearance) and that is why they identify as such. Some mixed/mulatto/biracial folks are White (regardless of their appearance) and I think it's high time that they be afforded the same courtesy of being able to identify as what they are. Me? I am mixed in every way and have always identified as such. I don't get too much flak for that, because of how I look. Yet, it's 2009 and some mixed folks with more obvious African ancestry still get harassed for identifying as mixed. Sad

Worse yet is that society and government records tend to just consider us all Black anyway, no matter what we say. Rudeness!

Comments (5)

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written by Joe, July 01, 2009

Oh of course there's a double standard, but someone has got to test the water eventually. However, maybe Obama isn't cut out for that. Maybe it will take a mixie of a younger generation for that to happen, as there are stark differences between generations of mixies.

No one can truly know why someone identifies a certain way, so you're right. We have no right to chastise people for identifying a certain way, because maybe they do have a very good reason. Either way, it's none of our business though.

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written by Sandy, July 03, 2009

I can understand after all he is just as much white as he is black. To say I am a white Man would be no more false then him saying I am a black man. Soledad O’Brien she ids as black yet no one would confuse her for being black if they did not know her hertiage due to her being a public figure. In fact if she can id as black because she has black in her. Then its only right that someone could id as white because they have white in them even if they dont look white in regards to their skin tone etc.

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written by Juila , July 04, 2009

I agree with Joe how someone chooses to identify racial is a personnel choice and for some people it could change over their life time. Its no one eles business.

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written by Robert , July 07, 2009

Its sad when some mixed race people are told they are self hating if they truly want to embrace all of their heritage. Fact is what race someone is can depend on their cultural. Take Obama now he identifies as a black man and that’s cool. He was not brought up in a black culture/way. Since he was raised by his white family and only in his adult life did he start to have connection with his African side of the family. Even in his Hawaiian school I believe he talks about one other “black” student. Someone could be say black but be rasied in say a Mexican culture and feel more Mexican even though they are not racially or ethnically Mexican.

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written by Paula , July 08, 2009

I just want to day that it is wonderful that Sonia has seen the error of her thinking. And respects that someone mixed raced should be able to identify any way they want. The more people that realize this will make it better for mixed raced people in the future.

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